Helen Ochyra

When I lost my mum, back in 2016, I was at a total loss. Some 20 years earlier I had lost my dad, and I had become used to the constant ache of his absense. But this was something new, something far more painful. After the pain of the funeral, …

“How did the tortoise cross the road? The answer lies in the jumble of limbs spilling out from the back of our Land Rover, small feet landing on warmed asphalt as three excited children clamber from their seats – and practically over each other – to rescue a tortoise towards …

“Late summer and early autumn is glorious here, the landscape turning to russet and gold, the weather still warm (enough) and the crowds drifting away.” I didn’t visit Scotland until I was in my twenties, but the country leapt right into my heart and has now long been my favourite …

“As a teenager I hated hiking but after my mum died in 2016, hiking became a means of keeping her close. It’s also the best way I know of connecting with nature, the ultimate restorer. I’ve tackled everything from heartache to grief with a romp in the British countryside.” When …

“I am eager for the darkness. It is, after all, what we have come for. My husband and I catch each other’s eyes across the plunge pool and grin at each other. We are thrilled to be back out here, in the middle of the Outback, waiting with butterflies in …

“Palma used to be a city with its doors closed. A decade or more ago, walking through the Old Town meant walking past palatial Renaissance homes that hid behind metal gates and wooden doors. Occasionally you might catch a glimpse over somebody’s shoulder as they retreated into their private courtyard …

“Platypuses are notoriously difficult to see in the wild – they’re shy, they steer well clear of humans and they look an awful lot like logs.” On my most recent trip to Australia I spent a week exploring Tasmania. This is the country’s only island state – and the one …

“Human intervention in the landscape is so often negative, but here on Lanzarote every house is as low-rise and as pale as a sugar cube, and the contrast between their white and nature’s black is what makes Lanzarote feel chic. Because monochrome is always chic.” Lanzagrotty? Hardly. Lanzarote is the …

“The windscreen is wall-to-wall blue, my bonnet pointing up so vertically it feels like the car could tip backwards at any moment and send me tumbling. I push my foot down harder on the accelerator and feel the lurch of the engine kicking in, propelling me upwards, seemingly into the …

“Thousands of people hurl tomatoes at each other in the madre of all food fights — expect to be covered head to toe in red pulp.” As a Spain specialist, every year I pick what I think are the 50 best holidays in the country for the Times. This year I’ve found …